Records 1995

The estimated population of the Northern Territory was 175,865 representing a 16% increase in population over the previous decade. The number of males outweighed the number of females by around 5,000 people. The net migration figure for the NT was 685 persons. In 1995, more people settled in the NT than left it for other parts of Australia.

There were 3,697 births recorded in the NT, and 813 deaths. The median age of death was 54 years for males, and 60 years for females. There were 50 registered infant deaths in 1995, which was a decrease of 13.7% on the figure for 10 years prior.

There were 797 marriages registered in the NT in 1995, and 432 divorces granted.

The median age of Northern Territory residents was 28.3 years.

The average full time adult work earnings (seasonally adjusted) in the Northern Territory were around $570 per week.

The price of a new Toyota HZJ75 Landcruiser motor vehicle with aircon, tray and bullbar was $48,500, while a Nissan Bluebird sedan manual was $29,990. An 811m2 block in Cullen Bay with water frontage was advertised for $235,000, and a 3 bedroom Grollo style home in the Darwin suburb of Anula was on the market for $158,000.

Marshall Perron was the Chief Minister of the NT until 26 May, when Shane Stone MLA for Port Darwin took the role.

His Honour Austin Asche was the Administrator of the NT.

30 January – Leanyer Recreation Park opened. Member for Karama Mick Palmer said that Leanyer Recreation Park would become a major asset for Darwin's northern suburbs.

31 January - Conservation Minister Barry Coulter unveiled a concept model of the $3.1 million visitor centre to be built at the Desert Wildlife Park, in the West MacDonnell Ranges near Alice Springs.

23 February - Education Minister Fred Finch announced a new $6 million rural school to be built at Fred's Pass Reserve on Sattler Road at Bees Creek.

10 March – Education Minister Fred Finch announced that Batchelor College had been given autonomy, separating it from the Department of Education.

7 April - The Member for Palmerston Barry Coulter officially opened the $5.5 million Woodroffe Primary School, in Palmerston.

11 May - The NT Library, at the new Parliament House complex in Darwin, opened with the successful merging of the former Parliamentary Library and the State Library of the Northern Territory.

Northern Territory Library, Parliament House. Official opening (view from the mezzanine) 22 May 1995.
Image courtesy of Library & Archives NT, Bert Wiedemann, Northern Territory Library 1995 Collection, Item PH0623/0199

25 May - The Northern Territory Legislative Assembly passed the Rights of the Terminal Ill Act, sponsored by the Member for Fannie Bay, Marshall Perron.

29 May - Mines and Energy Minister Mike Reed officially opened the $5 million natural gas treatment plant operated by the Mereenie Joint Venturers in Central Australia.

15 September – The Motor Vehicle Registry (MVR) was opened in Palmerston, one of Australia’s fastest growing urban centres.

9 October - Chief Minister Shane Stone officially opened the giant McArthur River zinc-lead-silver mine in conjunction with Prime Minister Paul Keating near the town of Borroloola.

17 November - Acting Aboriginal Development Minister Denis Burke opened the new council office and a new health clinic at Nyirrpi in Central Australia.

4 January – Chief Justice of the Family Court of Australia Alastair Nicholson called for the law to recognise homosexual couples and their children as a family unit, stating that it was unhelpful to attempt to set limits on what a family can be.

30 January – John Howard became federal Liberal Party leader and leader of the Opposition following the resignation of Alexander Downer.

3 February – A 4-day blockade of Parliament House in Canberra by 300 trucks and 2,500 timber workers and supporters ended after Prime Minister Paul Keating partially backed down on his 27 January decision to freeze logging in 509 old-growth forest coupes.

25 March – Bob Carr led the Labor Party to victory in the New South Wales state election, scraping in with 50 out of 99 seats.

June – July – Airline carrier Qantas was privatised.

7 June – Prime Minister Paul Keating announced to Parliament that Australia would have a referendum on the question of a republic, with a head of state to be elected by Parliament with a parliamentary majority of at least two-thirds.

30 June – Minister for Administrative Services Frank Walker announced that both the Aboriginal flag and the Torres Strait Islander flag had been proclaimed as official flags of Australia.

1 July – Telecom Australia changed its domestic trading name to Telstra.

24 October – A 15-year-old schoolgirl from Sydney died after taking the synthetic drug ecstasy at a rave party, sparking a media frenzy and national debate of the use of illicit drugs.

November – The rabbit calicivirus disease (RCD) escaped from an island testing station in South Australia, spreading into Victoria and New South Wales.

3 November – After a 6 month trial, David Harold Eastman was convicted by a jury of the assassination of Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Colin Winchester. Eastman was sentenced to life imprisonment.

1 January – Austria, Finland and Sweden joined the European Union.

10-11 January – Catholic Church World Youth Day 1995 festival was held in Manila, Philippines, with 5 million people gathering for Pope John Paul II’s concluding mass at Quirino Grandstand.

17 January – An earthquake struck southern Hyogo Prefecture of Japan leaving over 6,000 people dead and up to 310,000 displaced.

2 March – The Web Portal and online search engine created by David Filo and Jerry Yang was renamed Yahoo.

7 April – Russian paramilitary troops began a massacre of at least 250 civilians in Samashki, Chechnya.

19 April – The Oklahoma City bombing was committed by anti-government extremist Timothy McVeigh. The truck bomb destroyed the Alfred P Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, USA, killing 168 people.

11 May – More than 170 countries agreed to extend the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty indefinitely and without conditions.

11 July – Units of the Army of Republika Srpska enter the town and municipality of Srebrenica, intent on massacring thousands of Bosniak civilians.

16 July – Amazon launched its public website for book sales, beginning a revolution in commerce worldwide.

24 August - Computer operating system Windows 95 was released by Microsoft in North America. It was the first commercial computer operating system marketed to the general public. The 1981 hit Start Me Up by rock band The Rolling Stones, was used in the advertising campaign, and a 30-minute promotional video was produced starring actors Jennifer Aniston and Mathew Perry from the sitcom Friends.

3 September - eBay was founded (as AuctionWeb) by French-born computer programmer Pierre Omidyar as a hobby to make some extra money. The first item sold on AuctionWeb was a broken laser pointer for $14.83. In 1996, the company changed its name to eBay.

3 October - Former US NFL football player O J Simpson was found not guilty of the double murder of his former wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.

November – The Indian Government officially renamed the city of Bombay, restoring the name Mumbai.

27 March – The film Forrest Gump, won 6 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Tom Hanks.

27 March – Australian rock band Silverchair released their debut album Frogstomp. It went on to sell almost 3 million copies worldwide.

27 May – US actor Christopher Reeve, known best for his role as Superman in the 1978 film of the same name, became a quadriplegic after a horseback riding accident where he was thrown from his horse during an equestrian competition. Following his accident, Reeve motivated neuroscientists around the world to conquer the most complex diseases of the brain and central nervous system, while he gave a human face to the issue of spinal cord injury.

4 August – Australian comedy drama film Babe, directed by Chris Noonan, was released to an international audience. The film told the story of a farm pig who wanted to do the work of a sheepdog. The main animal characters of the film were played by both real and animatronic puppets. The film went on to become a critical and commercial success with seven Academy award nominations, including Best Director and Best Picture.

20 September – Optus vision was launched, signalling the arrival of pay television in Australia. Foxtel was launched on 23 October.

30 September – In the AFL Premiership, Carlton defeated the Geelong Cats 141 to 80.

30 October - British rock band Oasis released Wonderwall, the fourth single from their album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? which was released the same month.

22 November – The animated film Toy Story was released, becoming the first entirely computer-generated animated film, and the first release of Pixar Studios.

Helen Demidenko won the Miles Franklin award for her novel The hand that signed the paper. The work became the subject of heated debate when it was revealed that the author’s real name was Helen Darville, and that she had falsified her identity and ethnicity to suggest that the novel was based on her own family history.

On free-to-air television, Territorians were watching Getaway for holiday tips, Hey Hey its Saturday for entertainment, Blue Heelers for Australian drama, Heartbreak High for the teens, and Beyond 2000 for innovation. From the US, TV series Beverly Hills 90210, Melrose Place, Seinfeld and The X-files were regular viewing.

On the list of the most broadcast artists played by radio and television Australia wide, John Farnham was the highest ranked Australian act, followed by Crowded House, INXS, Jimmy Barnes, Wendy Matthews, and coming in at 25th, Johnny Diesel.

1995 in Australia – Wikipedia